Contemporary vehicles typically include active chassis systems that enhance vehicle performance and safety by controlling braking, power applied or control inputs to one or more of the vehicle tires. Electronic stability control systems and active driveline coupling control are examples of such active chassis systems. However, to fully optimize performance of these systems variable parameters such as tire temperature must be known. This is particularly true of high performance tires that have been optimized for paved roads (commonly referred to as “HWY4” classified tires). These tires typically have widely varied performance depending upon whether the tire is cold, nominal or hot. These ranges or states are the result of unique phases in which the rubber of the tire can exist depending on temperature rather than a linear relationship between certain characteristics and temperature. Such varying performance can affect the overall peak and sliding longitudinal and lateral traction capabilities of the tire. Consequently, conventional active chassis systems are optimized for a single temperature range (e.g., normal) or a compromise is employed to provide adequate performance over two temperatures ranges (for example, cold and normal).
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide optimized active chassis systems for a vehicle over the entire operating temperature range of the tires. Additionally, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.